We've had a great Christmas thus far. Christmas morning is always so magical! I've loaded this post with pictures for the Grandparents! The day started out with Clark and Cal waking up before 6am. We let them play games on our netbook...though I think the battery only lasted at most an hour. Around 7ish we all got up. I make my kids wait till I am "ready" for the day. I don't like morning pictures of my anyway, then add messy hair and no make-up....I think I would be scarier than Marley! For the third year in a row, (now a tradition!), I make my kids individual pumpkin pies. Growing up, every Christmas we had pumpkin pie for breakfast. Everyone had to eat a piece before we saw our stockings and what Santa brought us. I don't make them eat all of their pie (eating pie early in the morning was sometimes hard for me when I was little), but that is what we have for breakfast Christmas morning.
It was fun that it was foggy this morning. Sadly no white Christmas here, but oddly enough I think fog is better than no snow!
Eggnog for the breakfast drink.
Our pumpkin pies and cranberry pie. Lee whipped some cream to dollop on top.
I bought this summer sausage in Rexburg actually. My kids have been so excited to eat it on Christmas. The day finally came!
The kids then go in one by one to see their stockings. Clark got to go in first this year. Next year it will be Elden's turn to go in first. This year only their stockings were out---basically the rest of the presents were under the tree. They each got a present in their stockings (Shanna and Haley had two to be technical).
This is the third year in a row that we've worn these pjs. Earlier this year I used Elden's green pj pants to fix Clark's pants. When it came time to start thinking about making new pj pants, I didn't set enough money aside for fabric. I decided we would go one more year with the same pjs. Someone gave me some white and pink stretchy pants. Haley likes to wear them sometimes, so I had her go all white. We don't all match, but close enough! I'll have to plan better next year.
All the wrapped cans are their olives. Usually we put them in the stocking, but they wouldn't fit. I like wrapping stuff, so figured I might as well make them look cute! And it's fun unwrapping stuff anyway!
Clark walked me in. We should have had Clark walk in Lee too. Oh well.
Notice the sheet in the background? Every year my parents hung a sheet
in the entryway to the living room so we couldn't see any presents or
stockings. This year we did the same in two different areas. I thought it was so fun have the
living room closed off as if it was a separate, magical room.
After looking through the stockings we opened presents! Lee handed them
out one-by-one, and only after the person who had just opened their
present had thrown away the wrapping paper. Great idea Lee! It was fun
seeing the kids excitement, getting hugs, and hearing Shanna's squeals.
Towards the middle/end, Shanna and Haley put all the presents from the other side of the tree in front of Lee. The girls were more than happy to help!
Since opening presents we've been putting together toys, eating candy, shopping on the internet (me, he he), and chatting with my family on google+. Shanna and Elden wanted to take a bath, and played with some of their toys in the water. For a little while the kids went outside to play with Cal's nerf rocket launcher thing. We just had our yummy, annual Christmas day meal of nachos with bbq, shredded pork. And throughout the day the kids and Lee have been eating their individual boxes of cereal they get in their stockings, along with the addition of a can of olives. It's been a wonderful day. After 10 years of marriage this is our first Christmas we've spent home all day, just us. I love being with family on Christmas. This is has been great though for our first one of just us!
We hope you had a fantastic Christmas. Merry Christmas everyone!